The total box office for Spring Festival movies in 2026 surpasses 5 billion yuan

According to online platform data, the total box office revenue (including pre-sales) for the 2026 Spring Festival film season surpassed 5 billion yuan! Among them, “Flying Past Life 3,” “Silent Chilling,” “Dartman: Wind Rising in the Desert,” and “Bears Out and About: Bears Every Year” ranked the top four. The number of moviegoers during the 2026 Spring Festival season has exceeded 100 million, marking eight consecutive years of over 100 million viewers during the holiday period.

In addition, data from online platforms show that the total annual box office (including pre-sales) for 2026 has exceeded 7.5 billion yuan, surpassing North American box office results and currently ranking as the world’s top single-market box office champion.

Light and Shadow Celebrate the New Year

A Variety of Genres Including Comedy and Sci-Fi Fill the Screen

This year’s Spring Festival season kicked off on the 28th day of the lunar month and lasted until the 7th day of the first lunar month, with a long duration and a wide range of film genres. Multiple new films were released simultaneously during this period, covering comedy, action, animation, sci-fi, and more, driving continuous enthusiasm for moviegoing.

As the third installment in the “Flying Past Life” series, “Flying Past Life 3” has been fully upgraded in production scale and story scope. With more spectacular racing scenes and a tight plot, it allows audiences to experience the thrill of speed and passion.

After the film’s release, many viewers said they watched with their eyes glued to the screen the entire time, only relaxing when the race car crossed the finish line. Some were moved by the protagonist’s indomitable spirit, praising Zhang Chi’s every sprint on the track as a reminder to every brave dreamer that falling down is okay—what matters is to keep loving and keep racing, even through muddy roads.

“Silent Chilling” focuses on contemporary “covert operations,” telling the story of China’s important intelligence leak and how a national security team quickly launched tracking and arrest operations. The film places espionage themes in a modern urban context, using drone perspectives and high-dynamic-range camera techniques to create a tense atmosphere that is calm yet relentless. Authentic locations and detailed recreations depict the professional state of national security officers “hidden among the crowd.”

Many viewers said the film made the once-mysterious work of national security feel tangible: “It made me truly feel that they are silently guarding the country.” As director Zhang Yimou said, “Today’s peaceful times are because someone bears heavy burdens and moves forward.”

As the only martial arts action blockbuster in the 2026 Spring Festival season, “Dartman: Wind Rising in the Desert” tells the story of desert bodyguards entrusted with escorting a mysterious person back to Chang’an, only to face encirclement and attack, with fate and destiny gradually unfolding. The film features four generations of martial artists, using real scenes, real fights, real riding, and real kung fu, delivering a passionate and exhilarating martial arts spectacle in the vast Gobi Desert.

After its release, many viewers exclaimed, “The long-lost true martial arts film is back,” praising the fight scenes as “punches landing with real impact,” with authentic weapons and character traits matching each other, making viewers feel excited. The camaraderie of the escort team fighting side by side also touched many, and the stunning desert scenery added to the immersion, with some saying, “It feels like I’ve also stepped into the martial world.”

Additionally, several other excellent films continued to be popular during the Spring Festival season. “Galaxy Dreams” is set in near-future times, revolving around the emergence of a virtual dream system called “Liangmeng,” and tells the story of its administrator and a spaceship captain navigating through dreams and adventures; “Panda Project: Tribal Adventure” focuses on pandas “Huhu” and an international superstar who accidentally enter a mysterious tribe, working together to resolve challenges amid laughter and excitement; “Bears Out and About: Bears Every Year” depicts a crisis triggered by uninvited guests, with Big Bear, Two Bears, and Headstrong working together to overcome danger, unfolding new adventures in a lively family-friendly atmosphere.

The Power of Movie Tickets

“Movie+” Boosts Holiday Economy Vitality

This year, “Movie+” has undergone comprehensive upgrades, exploring new formats. During the Spring Festival holiday, many regions leveraged the high moviegoing enthusiasm by integrating “cinema entertainment + full-spectrum consumption” models, offering multiple benefits and discounts. Many places organized “Follow the Movie to Explore Markets” activities, where movie tickets and shopping receipts are mutually recognized, boosting both box office and retail sales, effectively activating consumption potential in lower-tier markets. The “Follow the Movie to Travel China” campaign led audiences to filming locations of classic movies, making the film economy the most prominent economic driver during the holiday, and a key force in holiday demand.

In Changde, Hunan, a commercial complex implemented a system where movie tickets and shopping receipts are mutually redeemable. Spending a certain amount can get free movie tickets, and with a movie ticket stub, consumers can enjoy discounts at over 70 stores in the mall. Besides cross-industry collaborations with dining and food, local authorities also invited provincial intangible cultural heritage inheritors into the mall, allowing moviegoers and shoppers to experience intangible cultural heritage firsthand during the holiday.

In Hebei, initiatives like discounted movies and “Movie + Cultural Tourism” combo tickets made spring viewing more affordable and enjoyable. Focusing on the strong cultural consumption demand during festivals, Hebei launched the “Affordable Movie Promotion” campaign throughout 2026. Using a model of “government subsidies + platform subsidies + theater discounts,” it offers ticket discounts. Theaters across the region also introduced special packages for families and couples, providing multiple movie benefits during the holiday. In Xiong’an New Area, residents can use Hebei movie discount vouchers online and stack discounts offline. Hebei also launched the “Jin Yi Travel Card” combining “Cultural Tourism + Movies,” allowing unlimited visits to 155 scenic spots and five movie screenings at 95 theaters across the province.

To better leverage movies to stimulate consumption and promote a diversified entertainment ecosystem, the National Film Administration and the Ministry of Commerce organized the “Movie+” comprehensive consumption pilot program, selecting the first batch of 16 pilot cities. In these cities, innovative “Movie+” consumption models have emerged.

Qingdao, Shandong has seen vibrant growth in its ticket stub economy. The number of participating merchants in the ticket stub alliance has grown from over 200 at inception to more than 700 now. Various tickets, including movie and transportation tickets, can be converted into coupons for dining, lodging, travel, shopping, and entertainment.

Yichang, Hubei has been a filming location for movies like “Leisurely” and “Hawthorn Tree”. During this Spring Festival, many film fans visited to “check in” and trace the origins. To seize this opportunity, local attractions like Qingjiang Scenic Area launched an “admit with movie stub, free entry” special event.

Today, watching movies during the Spring Festival has become a new tradition for more and more grassroots communities. This year, many third- and fourth-tier cities across the country achieved remarkable box office results, becoming a key driver of overall box office growth. Besides traditional reasons like regional preferences, the new AI ticketing methods have also made purchasing tickets more convenient. According to ticketing platforms, third- and fourth-tier cities have been the main contributors to Spring Festival box office for three consecutive years. This year, theaters in Binzhou (Shandong), Fuxin (Liaoning), and Chifeng (Inner Mongolia) ranked among the top six in the national box office. As China’s film market continues to deepen, lower-tier markets have shown strong consumption potential during the holiday season.

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(Source: CCTV News Client)